D-7 vs D-8 vs E-7 Visa: A Complete Comparison — Which One Fits You?
If your overseas headquarters sends you to Korea, it's D-7. If you personally invest in Korea and set up a corporation, it's D-8. If a Korean company hires you as a professional, it's E-7.
The three visas differ in who applies, how money flows, and what education or career history is required — so you need to nail down your own situation before the visa choice becomes clear.
Below, we compare the three visas across actual review points, the spots where applications commonly stall, document differences, and conversion possibilities — all in one place.
D-7, D-8, E-7 Visa Differences — The Core Structure at a Glance
The names look similar, but the applicant is completely different in each case.
D-7 is for employees of a foreign head office dispatched to a Korean branch or liaison office.
D-8 is for foreigners bringing their own capital into Korea to establish a corporation, while E-7 is for professionals hired by an existing Korean company.
One-Line Summary
- D-7: Head office → Korean branch (internal transfer)
- D-8: Foreigner → New Korean corporation (the investor themselves)
- E-7: Korean company → Hires a foreigner (employment relationship)
Key Comparison Table by Visa
| Category | D-7 (Intra-company Transfer) | D-8 (Corporate Investment) | E-7 (Special Occupation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant | Employee dispatched by head office | The investor themselves | Foreigner hired by a Korean company |
| Capital flow | Head office funds (no remittance to Korea required) | Investor's own funds must be remitted to Korea | No capital requirement |
| Company type | Branch or liaison office of a foreign corporation | Newly established Korean corporation | Existing Korean corporation |
| Education | No direct requirement (career-focused) | No education requirement | Bachelor's degree or equivalent career |
| Core review point | At least 1 year at head office | Genuineness of investment, source of funds | Job suitability, salary level |
D-7 Intra-company Transfer Visa — One Year at Head Office Is the Key
D-7 may look clean on paper, but in practice the employment history at the head office is the first thing that trips applicants up.
If you don't have at least one year of formal employment at the head office, outright denials are common.
When You Can Apply
D-7 applies when a foreign head office sets up a branch, liaison office, or representative office in Korea and dispatches an employee there.
Review standards differ depending on whether the head office is publicly listed or not.
In particular, head office revenue, the substance of the Korean branch's business, and the dispatched employee's position are all reviewed together.
Common Sticking Points in Practice
- Less than 1 year at head office → immediate denial
- Korean branch with essentially no business activity → judged as a dispatch without substance
- A formulaic dispatch letter → fails to explain why this specific person needs to come
Practical Tip: For D-7, the business linkage between head office and Korean branch must be clear. The key is to spell out, in the dispatch letter, what share of head office revenue comes from the Korean market and how the Korean branch contributes to the head office's business.
Detailed application criteria by head office size are updated annually in immigration guidelines, so check via consultation which bracket your company falls under this year.
D-8 Corporate Investment Visa — It All Comes Down to Explaining the Money Flow
For D-8, what makes or breaks the case isn't the number of documents — it's the explanation of where the money came from.
Even with cash sitting in your account, a weak narrative around the flow can derail things quickly.
How D-8 Applications Work
A foreigner remits funds to Korea under their own name and uses that capital to establish a Korean corporation.
Under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act, you must first complete a foreign investment notification.
After that, you complete corporate registration, business registration, and foreign-invested company registration — then apply for the visa.
Where Real Reviews Turn
- Remittance under someone else's name → doubts about investment genuineness
- Funds deposited only recently → additional source-of-funds documentation required
- Generic business plan → suspicion about substance
- Office lease at a virtual office → suspicion about business substance
Caution: For D-8, the reasonable explanation of where the funds originated matters more than the investment amount itself. Whether the source is a loan from family or acquaintances, proceeds from selling a business, or accumulated salary — if the documentary chain breaks anywhere, supplementary review drags on.
D-8 Application Process Table
| Step | Content | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Foreign investment notification | 1–3 days |
| Step 2 | Remit investment funds to Korea | Depends on the remitting bank |
| Step 3 | Corporate registration | 5–10 days |
| Step 4 | Business registration and foreign-invested company registration | 5–10 days |
| Step 5 | D-8 visa application | Immigration review period |
Exact processing times vary based on Hi Korea announcements and differ by the immigration office in charge.
Quick Pause — Not Sure Which Category Your Case Falls Under?
D-7, D-8, and E-7 are difficult to change once filed, so picking the right visa from the start matters most.
Even for the same business, the right visa shifts depending on your head office structure, capital flow, and combination of education and career.
Request a free consultation now → 02-363-2251 / KakaoTalk: alexkorea
Confirm exact costs and procedures through expert consultation.
E-7 Special Occupation Visa — Job Suitability Is the Deciding Factor
E-7 requires that your role fall under one of the occupations designated by the Ministry of Justice.
Occupation code, education, career history, and salary are reviewed as a single bundled set.
Eligibility for E-7
- Bachelor's degree + 1 year of relevant experience
- Or a master's degree (experience may be waived)
- Or 5+ years of relevant experience (in lieu of a degree)
- A formal employment contract with a Korean company
Where Applications Tend to Be Weak
- Major doesn't match the job → need to justify job suitability
- Foreigner ratio exceeded relative to company size → hiring ratio limits
- Salary below threshold → immediate denial
Practical Tip: For E-7, both the company's eligibility to hire foreigners and your job suitability must be satisfied at the same time. If the company hasn't met its domestic hiring quota, your application stalls even with perfect paperwork.
Salary thresholds change every year based on GNI, and this year's applicable threshold is calculated differently depending on the occupation.
Which salary bracket your occupation falls into is something we check first by occupation code during consultation.
Conversion Possibilities and Long-Term Residency Paths
All three visas can lead to long-term residency, but the F-2 Residence → F-5 Permanent Residency path weighs points differently in each case.
Conversion Comparison Table
| Category | D-7 | D-8 | E-7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family accompaniment | F-3 available | F-3 available | F-3 available |
| F-2 point eligibility | Available | Available (investment bonus) | Available (income bonus) |
| Direct path to F-5 | Difficult | Available if investment maintained | Available via high-income track |
| Conversion between visas | Conversion to D-8 difficult | Conversion to E-7 possible | Conversion to D-8 possible |
A frequent question in practice is whether you can switch from D-8 to E-7, or from E-7 to D-8.
It's possible — but the outcome depends on the company structure and your equity stake, so treating it as a simple switch tends to get stuck.
How to Think About F-5 Permanent Residency
- D-7: Long-term employment and settlement in Korean society are central
- D-8: Maintaining investment and creating jobs are bonus factors
- E-7: Income level and length of stay are bonus factors
How to Choose the Right Visa for Your Situation
When you're torn between the three, start by clarifying your own status structure.
The first thing to look at is: "Who is the applicant?"
One-Minute Self-Diagnosis
- You've been employed at a foreign head office for 1+ years and are being dispatched to a Korean branch → D-7
- You want to bring your own capital into Korea and establish a corporation → D-8
- A Korean company has decided to hire you (you meet the education/career requirements) → E-7
Caution: Sometimes all three conditions overlap. If you're being dispatched from a head office but also plan to run a company you partly own in Korea, the choice between starting on D-7 or D-8 shapes your entire strategy.
For these layered cases, picking the wrong visa upfront means a long cleanup later.
There are plenty of real cases where applicants had to restructure their business simply because of the visa they first applied for.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. Between D-7 and D-8, which one can I get faster?
On paper D-7 looks simpler, but translation and apostille processing for head office documents often eats up more time than expected.
D-8 has additional steps for remittance and corporate setup, but since you handle them yourself, the schedule is easier to control.
Q2. Can I switch from E-7 to D-8 after entering Korea?
Yes. However, you need to acquire a certain share of company equity and file a fresh foreign investment notification.
The procedure also differs depending on whether the company is already registered as a foreign-invested company.
Q3. Do I have to lease a physical office to apply for D-8?
Virtual offices are often not recognized as evidence of business substance.
Securing actual workspace where business can be conducted is the safer choice for review.
Q4. Is there a fixed salary threshold for the E-7 visa?
It's updated annually based on GNI (Gross National Income), and the applicable threshold differs by occupation code.
You'll need to confirm this year's exact threshold for your occupation at the time of application.
Q5. I don't yet have one year at my head office — are there other options for D-7?
If your tenure at the head office is short, going directly for D-7 is difficult.
Depending on your company's structure, you can consider routing through D-8 or E-7 instead.
Q6. Which visa is most advantageous if I want to bring my family with me?
All three visas allow family accompaniment via F-3.
That said, if you're also thinking about your family's employment or education, the visa type and the timing of a future F-2 conversion need to be considered together.
Need Expert Consultation?
D-7, D-8, and E-7 differ completely in who applies and how capital is structured, so an incorrect first choice can force you to redesign your business structure later.
If your case mixes head office, investment, and employment elements, the cleanup needs to start at the visa-selection stage.
Costs vary by case, so exact figures are provided during the free consultation.
Vision Administrative Office Services
- D-7 intra-company transfer visa applications and extensions
- D-8 corporate investment visa + corporate setup, one-stop service
- E-7 special occupation visa: occupation code review and application
- Visa-to-visa conversion, F-2/F-5 long-term residency strategy
Consultation Contact
- Phone: 02-363-2251
- Email: [email protected]
- KakaoTalk: alexkorea
- Address: 3F, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (Seongwoo Building), 04614
Official References
- Hi Korea e-Government Services
- Ministry of Justice, Korea Immigration Service
- Korean Law Information Center
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